Don’t Stand Alone When it Comes to Swallowing and Feeding in the Schools!
Hospital? Skilled nursing facility? Nursing home? In all other settings, addressing swallowing and feeding is a team effort with SLPs, nurses, OTs, CNAs, physicians, etc. all participating. This same type of team effort can be done in the school setting. Look around your district and see the other professionals that can participate as a team when addressing swallowing and feeding. There is the OT, PT, school nurse, classroom teacher, paraprofessional, principal, cafeteria manager, and of course the parents! Every professional has a role to play and they are already employed by the school district!
For example the:
- SLP often serves as the swallowing and feeding case manager and is resonsible for organizing the management of the student’s swallowing and feeding, as well as, writing the safe swallowng and feeding plan.
- OT may be responsible for adaptive equipment and sensory concerns.
- Nurse manages overall health and communicates with physicians.
- Etc.
Each member brings their own set of skills to the team effort.
When designing your districtwide swallowing and feeding team procedure, remember to include all team members, and to decribe their roles and responsibilities.
Tell me about your school-based swallowing and feeding team!
Emily